The Admirable Campaign (Spanish: Campaña Admirable) was a military expedition conducted by the United Provinces of New Granada and allied venezuelan republican forces against spanish royalist control in western and central Venezuela between 14 of May and 6 of August 1813, during the Spanish American wars of Independence, Colombian war of Independence and Venezuelan war of Independence.
The campaign was led by Simón Bolívar, a venezuelan-born officer serving as brigadier in the New Granadan army, with military and logistical support from the United Provinces of New Granada and the Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca.
Its combined forces included mostly New Granadan troops, Venezuelan republican officers and locally recruited volunteers.
Overview
After the collapse of the First Republic of Venezuela in 1812, Simón Bolívar sought refuge in the Provinces of New Granada led by Camilo Torres Tenorio where he entered the service of the patriot army, later called ejército libertador or Liberator army. At the time, the new granadan provinces were engaged in internal conflicts with territories that refused to recognize the authority of the federal government, particularly the centralist Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca. On January 28, 1813, Bolívar captured Ocaña, a city which was on the main roads to Venezuela. The expedition was formed by two divisions, a vanguard led by Colonel Atanasio Girardot and a rear under Colonel José Félix Ribas. At the same time Domingo de Monteverde was moving troops to western Venezuela in preparation for an invasion of New Granada, threatening the newly independent states there.
From Ocaña Bolívar moved against royalist areas of New Granada, taking the border city of Cúcuta in the Battle of Cúcuta on February 28. Here, Bolivar asked United Provinces for aid and permission to enter Venezuela through a document named the "Cartagena Manifesto" (Spanish: Manifiesto de Cartagena). The United Provinces regarded his petition favourably taking into consideration the numerous actions that he executed for the Neogranadan government. As soon as government authorization was given, the campaign started its march into Venezuela on February 16. The expedition marched through San Cristóbal, La Grita, Mérida and Trujillo. It is from this city that Bolívar issued his "Decree of War to the Death." In the Decree Bolivar announced that the patriot army will treat Spaniards and Criollos differently: "Spaniards and Canarians, you can expect death, even if uninvolved, if you do not actively work in favor of the independence of America. Americans, count on life, even if guilty." The Decree would remain in force, technically, until the treaty signed with Pablo Morillo at Santa Ana de Trujillo on November 26, 1820, regularized the rules of engagement.
The last major engagement of the campaign was the Battle of Los Horcones on July 22. After that the expedition occupied the cities of Valencia and La Victoria in early August. Losing on two fronts, the royalist government surrendered on August 4.
Bolívar's forces had a triumphal entrance into the city of Caracas on August 6, bringing an end to the campaign and reestablishing the Venezuelan republic.